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Book Description

Publication Date: 3 April 2000

Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai class, consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction in the philosophy and code of behaviour that foster the true spirit of Bushido - the Way of the Warrior. The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima. This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original. Hagakure was featured prominently in the film Ghost Dog by Jim Jarmusch.

Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai class, consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction in the philosophy and code of behaviour that foster the true spirit of Bushido - the Way of the Warrior. The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima. This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original. Hagakure was featured prominently in the film Ghost Dog by Jim Jarmusch.

Hagakure may be familiar to anyone who has seen the film 'Ghost Dog'. It contains anecdotes relating to the way of the samurai, but can be (unfairly) summarised as follows: the way of the samurai lies in death, death must be contemplated on a daily basis, even the slightest example of disrespect should be met by immediate and fatal remedy. In particular, seppuku (hiri kiri) is the noble and glorious end to virtually all anecdotes.It is a remarkable book, and probably the most interesting of the Samurai guides (eg Book of Five Rings). However, it should be remembered that Hagakure was considered exceptionally fundamentalist when it was written (17th century) and was disapproved of due to its overemphasis on death.It was also a favourite text of Yukio Mishima, which if you know about Mishima, tells its own story.

this is a stirling example of Mr Wilsons work as translator. Both understanding the history and culture of japan and the original text while firmly keeping an eye on the audience, Mr Wilson's first commercial translation is a masterpiece. Full of practical advice and juicy tidbits of feudal samurai gossip[for want of a better word] and background. The text itself is easily accessible and makes for light reading that can be appreciated in greater depth at a later reading.In embracing death and gentlemanly values, it is reminiscent of early victorian writings as well as Confuscian texts. With this in mind, it is sometimes a little outdated and contradictory but one must consider the age of the source text and the fact that it was considered out-dated when first commited to paper. This translation is a compendium of extracts from an 1100 page work and the source itself contradicts itself and sometimes feels incomplete.All this aside though, this is on the most fundemental books i have read and essential for anyone who is interested in this field or would like an interesting read. It is also a good introduction to more complex and specialist translations especially by the same author.

Despite being written 300 years ago in Japan, this book contains so much wisdom and insight that can be successfully applied to modern life. It is very easy to read because it is made up of short passages usually only a paragraph long, so it is excellent to read a few pages at a time for a little inspiration. The stories are sometimes funny, and frequently confusing and illogical to the western mind which makes it a great read. This book is a great insight into the philosophy and mindset of the samurai. I would recommend it to anyone, and it makes a great gift.

As an Iaido practitioner I was first interested in this book for it's relation to the Samurai. However, the further I got into it the more I realised it can be of interest for anyone. Although the text is obviously rooted in the world of medieval Japan, it is easy to read between the lines and see the relevance it offers people today. That is not to say it is a philosophy as such, but that it offers a fascinating insight into a truly insightful and original mind.

The book is one of the samurai treatises but as opposed to some others in the same area, works a bit differently - it is a collection of thoughts, rather than a concise guide. The translator selected 300 out of the original 1300 and while most work well, it is hard to say if the complete set would make more sense.

Unlike the other samurai treatises I have read, Hagakure touches on more topics but brushes them more lightly - so yo will have thoughts on the role of the wife, upbringing of offspring and homosexuality.

While you can pick it up, open on a random page and read, like mentioned by other reviewers and therefore makes it good as a gift, I still much prefer Musashi Miyamoto's The Book of Five Rings. It might be more accessible to a Western audience, or it might be that the completeness and structure just works much better. I suppose if you have not read much samurai writing, The Book of Five Rings might be an easier initiation to the topic, too.

The beauty of this book is the fact that it can be picked up and opened at any page and you will find a paragraph or event that will captivate you and urge you to read on, discovering an insight to the bottled up world of feudal Japan, from the sacred code of the Samuari to the work of an ordinary peasent.As you make your way through the book you can easily relate some of the events to your own everyday encounters with the world (with exempt to cutting down passers by over seemingly minor reasons), this is a book that dosent try to educate or be something its not but is naturally bursting with politeness and touching to read.This book has great meaning to me as it helped my way of thinking. Do not hesitate buy this book, you wont regret it.